Centre for Arts and Technology – Halifax
Course Syllabus
Program: 3DA/3DGA
Course Code: IPUB 100
Course Title: Internet Publishing
Room Number: 313
Instructor: Ron Doucet
Instructor Contact Information:
Instructional Format: Each class is compromised of 4 aspects;
PROJECTS – Assignments ranging from various Research tasks, Photoshop tutorials, and Storyboard tests.
STORY STRUCTURE – Reading materials on theory for character development, screenwriting, and plot analysis for film.
LECTURE – Instructor’s speech at the head of each class discussing the art of visual storytelling.
Late Policy for Assignments: All assignments are due 7 days after being assigned which always falls on the beginning of the following class, with the exception of holidays or class cancellation, in which case it will be due the following class. If an individual or team misses a due date, 10% of the assignment value per day late will be lost on the first late submission. Late assignments must be handed in to the instructor or the student will receive an ‘incomplete’ for their final grade in the course. In the event of extraordinary circumstances exceptions may be made, however each case will be assessed on an individual basis. All assignments must be e-mailed to the instructor by the posted due date on the IPUB website. Assignments must have the student’s name and assignment # as the file name of the completed digital file assignment. Some weekly research tasks and homework assignments must be handed in to the instructor.
Attendance: Centre for Arts and Technology students are expected to attend all scheduled classes and labs on time. It is mandatory that students contact their instructor or the Centre each day before the start of class if they are going to be absent. This is expected at a place of employment and the same is expected at the Centre.
Course Description:
There are two goals for this course; first one is to introduce students to some basic techniques for creating and publishing an online portfolio by learning basic Photoshop & Flash skills to build a self-promoting website. The second goal is to train the students in the art of storyboarding and shot composition. Multiple workshops will center on the key to success in visual storytelling; A willingness to collaborate, the flexibility to evolve, and an understanding of the basic rules of cinematography. The best way to learn how to storyboard is by storyboarding, and here the students will be provided with focused assignments, research tasks, and opportunities to do just that. With the class instructor as the virtual pretend director, the students will learn in a studio environment and feel what it’s like to send ideas rocketing across the room. Whether the students have ambitions to tell these stories in live action or animation, this course will help the them to develop those muscles of communication so that their ideas will have an opportunity to shine.
Learning Outcomes:
• Various methods of building an informative and efficient online web portfolio.
• Learning basic tools and styles of film theory to help in the proper development of an animation portfolio and demo reel.
• Various storyboarding techniques:
Breaking Down Stories Into Beats
Cutting: When to Cut… and Why
Angles and Composition
Using Tilts and Avoiding Tangents
Framing the Shot - How Much to Show
How to Use Transitions the Right Way
Putting Together a Progression of Shots
Screen Direction Made Simple
The Magic of Cutaway Shots
The Easy Way to Solve Stageline Problems
Easy Timesaving Tips for Drawing Crowd Shots, Up Shots, Down Shots
Evaluation Methods:
Content for each week is divided into 3 separate categories in combination of both online materials for review and in-class lectures on the subject matter.
PROJECTS - Assignments ranging from various Research tasks, Photoshop tutorials, and Storyboard tests.
STORY STRUCTURE - Reading materials on theory for character development, screenwriting, and plot analysis for film.
LECTURE - Instructor speech at the head of each class discussing the art of visual storytelling.
Weekly Projects (Research & Storyboard Tasks) are 2-3% each = 45%
4 Final Storyboard Tests are 10% each = 35%
Final Flash Project = 10%
Final Written Exam = 10%
TOTAL = 100%
Course Content:
WEEK 1 Building a Web Presence
-Lecture on the importance of self-promotion, networking, and developing, building/updating your internet show reel & portfolio for freelance and in-house contract work.
Project #1 -
• Create a Blogger account.
• Choose, activate, customize a blog template.
• Upload designs, models, sketches, still renders,
• Sign up for a YouTube account.
• Upload your latest demoreel to youtube.
• Embed your youtube demo reel in a new blog post.
• Make a very short resume/personal description in the blog’s sidebar.
• Add categories/widgets to the sidebar: Modelling, Turntable, 3D Animation, 2D Animation, Character Design, Demo, Environment Design, etc.
Project #2 - Research: Strong Compositional Style
Project #3 - Create: An Influence Map
Story Structure #1: Visual Storyforming
Story Structure #2: Determining The Mind of a Main Character
WEEK 2 Principles of Composition / Shot Progression in Storyboarding
Review students’ blogs
Project #4 - Research: Rule of Thirds / Triangular Composition
Project #5 - Research: Shot Progression
Project #6 - Storyboard Assignment: Leon
Story Structure #3: What Character Arc Really Means
Story Structure #4: How Your Main Character Solves Problems
WEEK 3 Fundamentals for Professional Visual Storytelling & Story Thumbnailing Techniques
Review students’ research
Project #7 - Research: Lighting
Project #8 - Research: Editing
Project #9 - Storyboard Assignment: Incredibles
Story Structure #5: Character Motivation
Story Structure #6: Three Main Aspects of Storytelling
WEEK 4 How To Draw For Storyboarding - Visual Narrative & Clear Staging with Negative Space
Review students’ research
Project #10 - Research: No Dialogue
Project #11 - Research: Movie Trailer
Project #12 - Storyboard Assignment: Carnivale
Story Structure #7: Your Main Character's Most Personal Issue
Story Structure #8: Impact Characters
Story Structure #9: When the Main Character is Not the Protagonist
WEEK 5 Basic Techniques for Compositional Design in Storyboarding
Review students’ research
Project #13 - Study: Memento
Project #14 - Storyboard Assignment: Justice League
Story Structure #10: Consistent Plot Points
Story Structure #11: Personal Tragedy
Story Structure #12: Personal Triumph
WEEK 6 The Story Artist's Tool Belt
Critique/discussion of the film “Memento”
Project #15 - Storyboard Test: Duncan's Revenge
Story Structure #13: End of a Main Character's Arc
Story Structure #14: A Story is an Argument
Story Structure #15: Two Sides of the Same Coin
WEEK 7 Planning Shots: The Anatomy of a Clear & Simple Storyboard
Review storyboard test
Project #16 - Storyboard Test: Dysfunctional Dam
Story Structure #16: The Headline of a Story
Story Structure #17: The Most Important Event in a Story
Story Structure #18: The Story Limit
WEEK 8
Review storyboard test
Project #17 - Storyboard Test: The Book Store
Story Structure #19: Story Transformation
Story Structure #20: Subtext
Story Structure #21: How To End a Story
WEEK 9
Review storyboard test
Project #18 - Storyboard Test: The Diamond
Project #19 - Flash: Basic Button-Activated Motion Graphics
Story Structure #22: Creating Complete Stories (Pixar's Secret)
Story Structure #23: Sophisticated Story Goals
Story Structure #24: The Structure of a Short Story
Story Structure #25: Review - The Development of Character & Story
WEEK 10
Review materials for next week's exam
Work on Final Projects
Review storyboard test
Project #20 - Flash/Photoshop: Build a Self-Contained Flash Website
Project #21 - Animatic Test: The Diamond
WEEK 11 - Deliver Final Animatic Project / Write Final Exam
Students’ pass in final Animatic and Flash Portfolio Website
Write Final Exam:
Composition, Storyboarding, Animation Production & Terminology
**subject to change